Box-car end



W. H. MINER.

BOX CAR END.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1919.

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BY 7U W1 TNESSES:

W. H. MINER.

BOX CAR END.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1, 1919.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM H. MINER, OF CHAZY, NEW YORK.

. BOX-CAR END.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Application filed March 1, 1919. Serial No. 279,977.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. MINER, a citizen of the United States, residin at Chazy, in the county of Clinton and tate of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Box-Car Ends, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanylng drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in box car ends.

In the operation of railways, there are many wooden box cars in service which are proving unsatisfactory for the present day heavy service. The particular point of weakness of the wooden box cars resides in the end walls, which are easily broken, due particularly to shifting of the load while the car is in transit, the end walls being broken out and splintered.

Many attempts have been made to overcome the difliculties above indicated, one remedy employed being the utilization of reinforced beams or bars applied to the outer sides of the wooden end Wall. Another method heretofore employed is to tear out entirely the wood end walls and substitute therefor various forms of sheet metal end walls. While certain of the expedients employed have proven more or less successful, the same have not entirely solved the difliculties presented.

The object ofvmy invention is to provide a simple form of metal end wall which may be substituted for the wood end walls now found in old box cars, and which metal end wall afi'ords great strength against blows imposed thereon in the direction lengthwise of the car, and which end wall also serves to rigidly unite the superstructure of the box car to the floor or underframe structure, and thus increase the general rigidity and strength of the car.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a box car showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional. view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away in order to better accommodate the figure on the sheet. Fig. 3 is u on a somewhat larger scale than Figs. 1 an 2.

In said drawmg, 10 denotes the end 8111 of a wood box car, 11 the flooring, 1212 the end corner posts, 13 the end plate, 15 theend fascia board, 16 the roof boards, 17 the running boards and 18 the deadwood or bufiing block. The foregoing parts are, or may be, of well-known construction, and are such as are commonly found in the usual box cars now in service.

The improved end wall, as shown, comprises preferably a single sheet of metal, such as steel, and indicated generally by the reference A. Said end wall is provided with a central portion which is dished inwardly, as indlcated at 19, the inwardly dished portion 19 preferably corresponding to a portion of a spherical surface. The chord of the spherical dished portion 19 is preferably made so as to equal the distance between the corner posts 1212, and also the distance from the end sill to the end plate 13. In this manner the maximum strength is afforded against strains imposed longitudinally and arising from the shifting of the load within the car. As will be noted from an inspection of Fig.1, the said formation above referred to leaves the four corners fiat, as indicated at 2020, each of said corners being of generally triangular outline except, of course, the hypotenuse is curved rather than straight.

In order to effectively secure the sheet metal end to ,the adjacent parts of the car, the end A isprovided with outwardly turned flanges on all four edges, the bottom flange being designated at 21, the upper flange at 22 and the side flanges at 23-23. Each of these flanges is secured to the respective adjacent part of the car, the end sill, corner posts or end plate, by suitable meanssuch as the bolts 24-24. To still further strengthen the sheet metal end, I provide a plurality of tension rods, as indicated at 25-25. As shown in the drawings, these tension rods extend horizontally and there are preferably two of the same, one slightly above and the other slightly below the horizontal center of the end wall. tension rods has its ends extended through the side flanges 23-23 of the end and also through the corner posts 1212. In order to place said rods 25- under the. necessary tension, the same are made in sections and united at their centers by turn-buckles, as indicated at 26. Suitable struts are interposed between the tension rods and the end proper, A, the same being in the form of Each of said castings, as indicated at 2727.

Each of said castings 27 has its outer end suitably recessed, as indicated at 28, to form a seat for the tension rod, and at its inner end is provided with a widened flange, as indicated at 29, by which it is riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the end A.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner in carrying out the invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a box car having side walls, roof and underframe, of a sheet metal end having a substantially spherical inwardly dished central portion and substantially triangular-shaped flat corner portions,

said end having also outwardly extended edge flanges secured to adjacent parts of the car. tension rods extending across said wall on the outer side thereof and having their ends secured to portions of the car, and struts interposed between said tension rods and said dished portion of the end.

2. In a-reinforced end for box cars, the

combination with a wood box car having an end sill, corner posts and end plate, of a sheet metal end having outwardly extended edge flanges secured to said end sill, corner posts and end plate, said end wall having an inwardly dished central portion, tension rods extending transversely across said end wall and having their ends attached to the corner posts of the car and struts interposed between said tension rods and the dished portion of the end.

3. In car construction of the character described, the combination with a box car having end sill, end plate, and end corner posts, the inner margins of which define a substantially rectangular opening; of a sheet metal end, said end being of substantially rectangular outline conforming to said rectangular opening and provided with outturned marginal flanges adapted to be secured to the inner faces of said end sill, end plate and corner posts, respectively, said end plate being inwardly centrally dished with a substantially spherical formation, the chord of said centrally dished portion substantially equaling the horizontal distance between the end corner posts.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of Feb., 1919.

WILLIAM H. MINER. 

